Towel cabinet timer



Dec. 25, 1945. R MORRIS 'TQ'WEL C-ABINET TIMER Filed April 4. 1942 10 nah/ A Her-key J Patented Dec. 25, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOWEL CABINET TIMER Ramiel Morris, St. Louis, Mo.

Application April 4, 1942, Serial No. 437,621

4 Claims.

. This invention relates to improvements in a towel supply device, and more particularly to a timing mechanism for I controlling the withdrawal of increments of toweling therefrom.

The invention has as its principal object the construction of such a cabinet, wherein means are provided for automatically locking the feeding mechanism of the toweling so that, after a predetermined length of the same has been pulled or otherwise withdrawn, any further or continued feeding is restrained for a predetermined time interval, and at the expiration of this interval another cycle of feeding movement may be commenced.

The invention has among its objects the pro visionof a tiltable member having a, lost-motion connection with the towel feeding means, to thereby time the interval during which the feeding movement of the toweling is temporarily halted.

Further objects of the invention are the production of a device of the kind described, which will be extremel simple in construction and installation, sturdy in use and over long periods of service, requiring little or no inspection of the timing parts or servicing thereof, positive in operation, neat and attractive in appearance, economical, and which will be otherwise satisfactory and efiicient for use wherever deemed applicable.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, as will be apparent from the disclosures herein given.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, as will be more clearly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters represent like or corresponding parts throughout the views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the working parts of the mechanism, with the toweling ready to be withdrawn by the user;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the same,

my invention, there is shown my improved device for placement within the usual casing or cabinet, so that fresh increments or lengths of toweling may be successively withdrawn for use, with minimum time lapses therebetween. The use of timers for controlling the withdrawals of toweling from the continuous length of toweling is Well-known, .but such timers often give trouble and readily get out of order, and the instant invention is directed principally to a timer that will overcome the difficulties heretofore encountered.

The casing or cabinet is supported or hung, as desired, so that there is a loop of toweling depending from the same, to be grasped by the user and pulled to thereby place a fresh increment into place for use.

A framework for removable mounting within *such a cabinet, is illustrated as having sides l-l to extend for approximately the depth of the cabinet at each side of the latter, and spaced apart with any suitable number of rods 2 at any desired points of the device.

A length of toweling, in the form of a continuous web wound into a roll 3, and which for the sake of convenience I may term as the supply hereinafter referred to as the used.roll.

roll, is adapted to be received within the cabinet, as atthe bottom, as shown. This web is threaded through the'devic'e, as by passing it over various rollers to depend from below the cabinet and thence upwardly along the rear onto the spindle 4, that portion of the toweling shown at 5 being The spindle 1 is guided in its movement by the slightly inclined guideways 6 extending downwardly from the top edges of the side pieces l-I.

A pair of feeding rollers I and 8 are arranged in substantially parallel relation across the side plates of the framework, the roller 1 being adjacent the supply roll and co-acting with a removable bar 9 immediately below and forwardly of the rotational axis of said roller 1, and the second roller 8 is positioned within the framework immediately below the lower end of the slots or guideways 6 so that said roller 8 rotatably supports the roll of'toweling 5. The pair of rollers 1 and 8 are interconnected by a chain I0 meshing with sprockets l I and [2 carried by said rollers, respectively. In this way, rotation of either roller will drive the other, and when either roller is locked against rotation, the other is simultaneously locked.

In order to more efiiciently feed the toweling faces, as by securing aperipheral covering of sandpaper or the like thereto.

Obviously, a downward pull on that portion of the toweling that depends from the front of the cabinet will cause the toweling to be simultaneously withdrawn from the supply roll and onto the used roll, the rollers I and 8 rotating in unison through the chain and sprocket interconnection.

Athough toweling is sometimes placed so that users may withdraw any desired lengths from the supply roll, there are many instances where, for one reason or another, it.is highly necessary to restrict the amounts of toweling withdrawn at any one time, and to this end I have provided an especially simple, quiet, positive and eflicient mechanism for the purpose, and which will now be set forth in more detail.

An element I3 is secured to rotate simultaneously with the withdrawal of the toweling, said element being preferably rigidly connected to the shaft I4 of the roller 8. A tooth, lug or projection I5 extends at one point radially from said element I3, and one or more pins I6 project longitudinally and outwardly of said element.

A member I I is pivoted at I8 to the framework,

is provided with an abutment or shoulder I8 at a point substantially immediately above the rotational axis or center of the element I3, so that when the member I1 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, but with the tooth I5 of the element I3 as shown in Fig.1, the members I3 and I! will be interlocked to prevent continued rotation of the shaft I4 in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig 2, and any'withdrawal of toweling while the parts are so maintained.

The member I! is preferably provided with an internally formed guideway or runway to coact with the rotary element I3, and is also provided with a latch element 2|. A spring 22 constantly urges the member H to the position shown in the Figure 1, being connected to the latter in any suitable manner so as to exert its pull on the same.

A cooperating latch element 23 is pivoted to the framework at 24, intermediate the free ends of said element, the latching part being so shaped and proportioned as to cooperate with the latch end 2| of the member I'I, while the other end of said element extends sufficiently to be in the path of movement of a movable control member in the form of a weight carrier member 25, so that as the latter passes through a predetermined position, it will engage with the element 23 to release the latter from latching engagement thus permitting the parts to assume the positions shown in Fig. 1.

A freely suspended arm 26 is pivoted at its upper end to the member II, the lower end having a shoulder 21 for engagement with the pins I6 in such manner as to prevent rotation of the rotary element in a backward direction, but will ratchet and over-ride said pins to permit rotation of the element I3 in a forward or feeding direction.

A shaft 28 is journalled in the framework immediately below the shaft I4, and is geared thereto, as by the gears 29 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so that this pair of shafts rotate simultaneously.

The weight-carrier member is freely journalled on the shaft 28, so as to be rotatable independently of the same, and is provided with a pair of diametrally opposed and spaced pins 303G, one of the latter being extended from the exterior face of said carrier, as shown, while both pins extend in the reverse direction (at the same radial distance from the axis of the shaft 28) a sufficient distance to engage and lift the adjacent arm of the latch element 23. When either pin 30 is in the approximately uppermost position shown in Fig. 1, the latch is released and the shoulder I9 is free of interlocking engagement with the tooth I5, and in which position the toweling may then be fed by a pull thereon.

A loose-motion connection is made between the shaft 28 and the weight-carrier member, as by the element 3| secured rotatably adjustably on said shaft in any suitable manner, as by a set screw 32 or the like, so as to be rotatably driven by and with said shaft, said element having a pair of opposed spaced legs 33-33 extending substantially radially. Thus, when the toweling is withdrawn, with the various parts in the positions shown in Fig, 1, there will be an initial rotation of the element 3| independently of the weight-carrier, this independent movement continuing until the trailing leg 33 engages the pin 30 extending in its path, whereupon both the carrier and element 3| rotate together until the parts are in about the positions shown in Fig. 2. The other pin of the pair of pins 30--30 is then just about to engage the adjacent leg of the latch member 23, the latter then being in latched position.

The weight-carrier is shown as having a pair of tubular elements 34--34 fastened thereto securely, ther being weighted material in each of said tubes, as for example the balls indicated, these weights being so proportioned that they preferably occupy less than one-half the length of the tube and are of sufficient aggregate weight to overbalance or tilt the carrier whenever said weights are shifted to the lowermost end of the tubes from the position indicated in Fig. 2. Oil or other suitable material may be within said sealed tubes so as to give smoother rolling action reduce noise, etc.

A slight drag or friction member 35 may be 3 pivotally hung at some suitable point 36 on the framework (Fig. 1 showing said member pulled to the left, out of its free-hanging position, in order to show other parts more clearly), said member having a part in the path of circular travel of the tubes 3434 and to be bodily swung aside by the latter, from the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 2 to the full-line position therein, as the tubes move through their cycle.

The operation of withdrawing the toweling is as follows:

When the parts are in theposition shown in Fig. 1 (but with the member 35 in its true position farther to the right than is indicated), a

4 downward pull on the exposed portion of the toweling will rotate the parts in the directions indicated by the arrows, the rotating element I3 acting as a cam to depress the latch element to about the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, with the pins l6 assisting in this action and momentarily lowering the latch portion of I! even below the full-line position shown so that the latter will be more positively moved downwardly past the cooperating latch 23 and then move upwardly a bit to firmly interlatch. The spring 22 constantly resists depressing of the latch 2I and retrieves the part IT to the position shown in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2 as soon as interference with said member is removed,

. The element 3| is given a slight rotational movement free of the weight-carrier, and then rotates and drives the latter therewith until the parts are in substantially the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, whereupon the tooth of the element I3 is interlocked with the shoulder [9, so that whereupon continued withdrawal of the toweling is prevented while the parts are so maint-ained.

The balls in the tubes 3434 will thereupon roll slowly through the sealed liquid, to the lower end of the tubes to cause the weighted carrier to tilt, against the slight drag of the member 35, this tilting rotation being faster than when the carrier is driven by the element 3|, inasmuch as the carrier is freely mounted on the shaft 28, this free rotation of the carrier continuing until the pin 30 then topmost again engages the adjacent leg 33 of element 3|. This last-describedfree movement causes the pin 30 then uppermost to engage with and lift the adjacent end of the element 23 to thereby release the latch from latched position, whereupon the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 1 and in the dotted lines in Fig. 2, for fresh use and feeding of toweling.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may he made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination set forth, except as limited by the state of the art to which this invention appertains, and the claims hereunto appended.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a towel cabinet adapted to have toweling fed therethrough, stop mechanism for arresting the towelingand set by the latter by withdrawal of a predetermined length of toweling, a. rotary weight-carrier movable with said toweling for only a portion of the towel withdrawal movement, means between said carrier and stop mechanism and operable for releasing of the latter and freely bodily movable weights confined in said carrier to control the means for releasing said stop mechanism.

2. In a towel cabinet adapted to have toweling fed therethrough, a latch-controlled stop mechanism for arresting the feeding movement of said toweling and set by the latter after a predetermined length of the same has been withdrawn, a rotary tiltable member controlling said latch and actuated .by said withdrawal movement of the connection therewith so as to permit of partial circumferential movement independently thereof, and freely movable weights in said carrier to travel to and fro therein to tilt the latter after the withdrawal movement of toweling has stopped and thereby release said latch and lockm 4. In a towel cabinet, timer means for limiting the withdrawal movement of toweling to predetermined lengths at each withdrawal, comprising a rotary member driven in unison with the withdrawal of toweling, a lock member movable by the rotary member into locking engagement to prevent further towel withdrawal, a latch for maintaining said locking engagement, a weight carrier freely mounted adjacent said latch and engageable with the latter to release the same at a predetermined position of said carrier, and a lost-motion drive connection between the latter and said rotary member so that the latter is mtated to a greater degree than the former upon withdrawal of toweling, and a weightfree to travel in said carrier to tilt the latter as the weight shifts to an end of said carrier while the carrier is at substantially the end of its driven movement.

RAMIEL MORRIS. 

